How to Disable the Camera on a Macbook

By Maxwell Payne

The MacBook laptop comes with a built-in camera located at the top of the screen in the center. By default, the camera, called an "iSight," is always on in a "standby" state. When a relevant program is launched, such as "Photo Booth," or "iChat video," the camera is already ready for use. For security reasons or to prevent the camera from recording as soon as a program is launched, you can disable the camera.

Step 1

Click on the "Spotlight" search icon in the top right of the OS X screen. The icon is a "magnifying glass." In the search box, type in "Terminal." Wait for the results to load and click on "Terminal" from the list of results.

Step 2

Type the following into the "Terminal" prompt (note the space between "mkdir" and the "/") and press "Enter.""mkdir /System/Library/QuickTime/.iSightBackup"

Step 3

Type the following command into the "Terminal" prompt (note the space between "mv" and the "/") and press "Enter.""mv /System/Library/QuickTime/QuickTimeUSBVDCDIgitizer.component /System/Library/QuickTime/.iSightBackup/"

Step 4

Click the small red "X" icon in the top left corner of the Terminal to exit. The camera is now disabled.

Tips & Warnings

To enable the camera again, open "Terminal" and type the following command and press "Enter:"